


Test Drive

by sincerelyjessy



Series: Twitch Verse [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 02:45:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11152599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincerelyjessy/pseuds/sincerelyjessy
Summary: "For some reason they didn’t talk like this in front of Blaine. It wasn’t something they coordinated, exactly, probably didn’t even start out as a conscious thing. But it was nice, these private moments that were just for them. Even if they were infrequent, and if they didn’t always end nicely. Even if they meant nothing." A look into Sebastian and Kurt's budding...something.





	Test Drive

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second part of "Twitch", written due to the positive feedback I got on the first part. Thanks for reading!

Kurt walked into the Lima Bean, anticipating he’d be meeting Blaine, and _only_ Blaine, but the universe didn’t seem to think he deserved good things. And well, maybe the universe was on to something.

Because sitting next to Blaine was Sebastian Smythe, the same Sebastian Smythe who he’d kind of smoked pot with, who he’d confided in despite everything he thought he knew. The Sebastian Smythe that owed him nothing, that was under no obligation to keep any of his secrets. The Sebastian Smythe who, so far, against all odds, had kept them anyway.

The boy that had offered him a place to sleep, who’d let him stay well into the next day. The boy who had more vices than years. The boy who threw parties then abandoned them when they got to be too much.

They hadn’t hung out since, not just the two of them, anyway. And yeah, maybe Kurt was reading into things too much, had too many expectations. He tended to do that, build mountains out of people.

It’s not like they were friends. No, Sebastian seemed to view Kurt as some sort of…puzzle. And now that he’d cracked it he grew bored of him.

But Kurt wasn’t bitter or anything.

“Hey Blaine!” Kurt chirped, and oh god, he needed to work on that. He barely spared Sebastian a glance before sitting down across from them.

“Hey, you.” Blaine said, smiling, and Kurt actively had to try his best not to swoon. They were just friends, he had to remind himself, and they would continue to be just friends. Kurt’s crush was all but gone, but his old habits weren’t going to disappear overnight.

Sebastian, seemingly reading Kurt’s mind, simply smirked at him over his cup of mocha. It was times like this that Kurt almost regretted opening up to him at all. Almost.

Kurt didn’t like the way Sebastian looked at him now. Like he _knew_ something, and he was just waiting for the right moment to spill everything, the perfect time to embarrass Kurt so thoroughly that he wouldn’t dare show his face around them again.

But that wasn’t all it was. It was the fact that he even looked at him at all, in contexts that didn’t involve glaring or rolling his eyes or looking him over in search of inspiration for his next long, involved insult.

Now Sebastian looked at him simply because he could. Wanted to, maybe. And Kurt didn’t know how to address it without acknowledging that he had been looking, too.

“Hummel.” Sebastian said cordially, but pushed over the last half of his bear claw.

“Smythe.” He said, begrudgingly accepting the peace offering. It was common knowledge that pastries were his weakness.

Blaine was checking his phone, seemingly oblivious to their entire exchange. He was frowning at something on the screen, looking up when he realized it had gone quiet. “Oh, sorry. It’s just...ugh, family stuff.”

“Is Cooper visiting?” Sebastian asked, hopefulness thinly disguised with sympathy. And wasn’t that a thought, Sebastian with his own version of a schoolboy crush.

Now Kurt did the smirking, and Sebastian squinted at him in turn.

Blaine shook his head. “You know, I’m starting to develop a complex here.”

“There’s enough of me to go around.” Sebastian reminded him, raising his eyebrows in that exaggerated fashion where he wasn’t really flirting, except he kind of was.

Kurt watched the two of them going back and forth, and realized he had been silly to be intimidated by this. There was nothing romantic going on, the remnants of lust, maybe. But it wouldn’t amount to much.

Of course, this realization came a little too late. It’s not as if Blaine would magically start looking at Kurt the way he wanted him to. And that was okay, too. It was something he was starting to let go of. He’d make room for greener pastures, or whatever.

“Cooper’s my brother.” Blaine explained, as if Kurt didn’t already Facebook stalk him to death and know that. “My _straight_ brother.”

“Do you know how many “straight” guys I’ve been with, Anderson?” Sebastian countered.

“They probably weren’t straight.” Kurt pointed out. “Did you not get the message of _Born This Way_?”

“I’m not a Lady Gaga gay.” Sebastian admitted. “I’m like… _Queer as Folk_ meets…”

“ _To Catch a Predator_?” Kurt supplied, which earned him a light kick to his Doc Martens.

Blaine watched them with a bemused expression, a mixture of fondness as well as slight annoyance. His phone started ringing and he got up. “I’m gonna go take this. Be civil.”

“I am. I didn’t even mention his S&M mess of a top.” Sebastian said, watching Kurt’s expression change from smug to wide-eyed. “That means _slave and master_ , Kurt. It’s a sex thing.”

“I _know_ what S&M means!” Kurt said, causing the table next to them to look over.

Blaine looked like he really didn’t want to leave them alone but had no choice, heading just outside the entrance to answer his phone.

And then it was just the two of them, the way it had rarely been in the past couple weeks. Sebastian looked at him, eyes crystal clear. No smoke in the air, no alcohol in their systems. No buffer.

“I bet you do.” Sebastian said when Blaine was gone. “Always knew the whole innocent thing was just an act.”

Kurt opened his mouth then shut it, having no clue how to retaliate without opening a can of worms.

“Not sure how you fake that blush, though.” Sebastian said, actually sounding a bit impressed.

“It’s autonomic, asshole.” Kurt snapped.

Sebastian smirked, almost as if to say _bingo_. He found what he wanted, had pushed the right buttons, and Kurt walked right into it.

“How was your day?” Sebastian asked, changing the topic in that infuriating way he had of doing, as if nothing he said mattered.

“Why do you do that?” Kurt asked.

“Do what?”

“Pretend like you care.”

And Kurt could have sworn he saw genuine hurt in his expression, just for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by its imitation.

“Maybe I like listening to your problems.” Sebastian all but mocked.

“Don’t.” Kurt warned, knowing he was poking fun at him for that night.

“What?” Sebastian said, feigning ignorance. Really well. And okay, maybe it wasn’t intentional.

“It’s not funny.”

“And I’m not laughing.” Sebastian pointed out, which didn’t relax Kurt in the slightest.

“I guess you’re not.” He conceded, nervously glancing between Sebastian and the entrance of the Lima Bean.

“I just…I meant I don’t mind it. Hearing about your day.” Sebastian said, looking at him in that unreadable way of his. “So humor me.”

And Kurt did, god help him. He told him about his day. Not that he thought Sebastian cared or anything, but he didn’t have proof that he didn’t, either.

For some reason they didn’t talk like this in front of Blaine. It wasn’t something they coordinated, exactly, probably didn’t even start out as a conscious thing. But it was nice, these private moments that were just for them. Even if they were infrequent, and if they didn’t always end nicely. Even if they meant nothing.

“How’s the meathead?” Sebastian asked after Kurt was done with his recap.

“Which one?” Kurt asked, but he knew immediately by the way Sebastian raised an eyebrow. They’d briefly talked about Karofsky before, during in between moments like this one. Non-moments. So brief, it was easy to pretend they didn’t happen.

“Not sure. He stayed out of my way for the most part.”

“I would too.” Sebastian said. “You don’t mess with a man wearing that many buckles.”

Kurt laughed, unable to stop himself. “Whatever. You couldn’t pull this off.”

“Figuratively or literally speaking?” Sebastian asked, leaning forward in that way he had of doing when he wanted to make someone uncomfortable. And Kurt wouldn’t give him the pleasure seeing him squirm.

“Both.”

And there was that twitch Kurt had learned to look for.

“Hm. I’ll agree just this once.”

If Kurt didn’t know any better, he’d say they were flirting. But they’d always talked like this, Sebastian knowing about his self-consciousness on all matters of intimacy. It was something slightly crueler than flirting, but Kurt had learned to take it in stride.

“And how’s Dalton?” Kurt asked.

“Dull as always.” Sebastian drawled. “I wish we had a pregnancy scandal. Might have to start one.”

“That’s gonna be a little hard to pull off.”

“Trans men exist, Kurt.”

“I meant the part where anyone willingly lets you knock them up.”

Sebastian gasped. “I’d be a _great_ dad.” And Kurt laughed because, wow, this was a conversation they were actually having, and Sebastian was actually offended.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m open-minded, I’m laidback, I’m overflowing with wisdom-”

“You’ve actually given this thought.” Kurt observed, not knowing what to make of that.

“Well…yes.” Sebastian said, having a brief moment of shyness before recovering brilliantly. “ _And_ I’m rich. I’d be the perfect baby daddy.”

“Okay, okay. I believe you.” Kurt said, grinning over his mostly neglected coffee.

Somewhere in the middle of that conversation Blaine had slipped back inside, but Kurt had just noticed, and tried and failed to school his expression into a neutral one.

“Crisis averted.” Blaine said after a moment, slipping back into the chair next to Sebastian. If he had noticed anything out of the ordinary, he hadn’t said anything.

“So, just to be clear, Cooper _isn’t_ visiting?” Sebastian asked again, which made Blaine laugh, and pulled the focus off of the two of them.

Crisis averted, indeed.

           

 

The morning after the party had been a relatively quiet one. He followed Sebastian as he checked room after room for any stragglers, yawning behind him. He ran his fingers through his hair, absently realizing he should be horrified by the state of it. Oh well.

One room he opened more cautiously than the others, the door engraved in a pretty cursive that read “Penelope”. In the bed was a girl. Kurt couldn’t see her face, just a bob of light brown hair, shoulders rising and falling with the familiar rhythm of sleep.

Sebastian lingered before closing the door behind him. “That’s my asshole sister. Who is clearly pretending to sleep so she can get out of cleaning.” He said the last part loudly, and they were met by suspicious silence.

“Smart girl.” Kurt mused.

“Well bred, too.” Sebastian joked, mostly with himself, alluding to something Kurt probably wouldn’t begin to understand.

He gave Kurt a once over before starting down the stairs, gesturing for Kurt to follow him. “Come on. Can’t have you starving on me, can I?”

And Kurt didn’t realize how hungry he was until Sebastian said that, stomach growling meekly as if on cue.

A piece of toast and a cup of coffee later and Kurt had to admit he felt a bit more human, and when Sebastian asked him if he wanted anything else Kurt had to raise an eyebrow in shock.

“You’re not poisoning me, are you?”

“And clean this house by myself?” Sebastian scoffed. “They don’t teach critical thinking in public school, do they?”

Kurt rolled his eyes, leaning over the table and snagging the last slice of Sebastian’s toast. “No, but they did teach us defensive eating.”

Sebastian stared at him like he was the most uncouth thing he’d ever seen, as Kurt took bite after bite of his toast. But then he laughed despite himself.

“Jesus. Slow down.” Sebastian chided. “You’re not even chewing.”

“That’s the point. You eat quickly before anyone else can take it.”

 “Huh.” Sebastian said, impressed, clearing the counter of their plates and mugs. "The more you know."

           

 

It was a Saturday afternoon at the tire shop when Kurt’s phone started ringing, and without checking the screen he answered it.

“Hummel? That was fast.” Sebastian’s voice said over the other line, and Kurt nearly dropped his phone. He was trying to think of how the hell Sebastian had even gotten his number, but then he remembered that they’d exchanged them that morning after the party. Neither of them had actually used it, of course.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Kurt said, wiping his forehead with his less greasy hand.

“It’s called _Hummel Tires and Lube_ , right?”

Kurt’s heart stopped. “What?” He all but squeaked.

“Your dad’s shop? I was driving through the area and my car started making these weird sounds.”

Kurt couldn’t help but feel like this was some kind of trick. Like the other shoe was going to finally drop, and Sebastian was staging some way to humiliate him in front of his father. But, then again, Sebastian had no way of knowing he was even working today.

And he could hear the noises the car was making over the phone, and they definitely weren’t good.

“I figured you could let him know I’m coming? Maybe get me the family and friends discount.”

“Fine.” Kurt huffed. “But keep your comments to yourself.”

And, a few moments later, Sebastian Smythe walked into the shop and looked at Kurt, face lighting up like Christmas came early.

Burt looked up to greet Sebastian, but Kurt quickly cut in between them. “I’ve got this one, Dad.”

Burt looked between Kurt and Sebastian, poorly concealing his curiosity. But the shop was pretty backed up, and Kurt knew he didn’t have the time to question it. “Alright. Let me know if you need any help.” He said, before walking away.

Kurt exhaled, thankful that he avoided that potential disaster.

“You know, I didn’t fully believe it.” Sebastian mused, giving Kurt a once-over that made him cross his arms over his chest. “I’m surprised you didn’t bedazzle it.”

Kurt didn’t bring up the fact that he did, in fact, have a _tastefully_ bedazzled pair of work overalls at one point, but they no longer fit him since his most recent growth spurt. Instead, he glowered. He was good at that, the glowering.

“Please tell me your car is _actually_ making noises.”

“Actually, I drove all the way to _Lima_ on the off chance that you might be working today.” Sebastian said, and yeah, okay he understood how ridiculous it sounded. But he seriously made him paranoid.

“Point taken.”

“I thought I was the narcissist.” Sebastian said, leading Kurt to his car that was parked outside.

And it was a really _nice_ car, of course it was, and Kurt may or may not have been salivating a little. He hadn’t seen an Audi up close in ages, let alone one owned by someone he knew.

“If you’re nice to me I’ll let you take it for a spin.” Sebastian teased. “Pinky promise.”

“I’m always nice to you.” Kurt said as he popped the hood to get a good look at things. The instant wave of heat that came out to greet him confirmed his suspicions. “This thing is seriously overheating.”

“Great.” Sebastian said, leaning against the car and watching Kurt work. “How do we fix it?”

“ _We_ don’t.” Kurt said, realizing this was a little out of his depth. “I’ll have my dad take a look. You might need to replace your cooling fan.”

“Useless grease monkey.” Sebastian mused, then gestured to his forehead. “ It’s a little early for Ash Wednesday.”

Kurt raised a hand to his forehead, confused.

“Religious thing.” Sebastian explained, reaching forward and fashioning what felt like…was he drawing a _cross_ through the smudges on his forehead? “There. If you’re gonna be pious, do it right.”

“You’re weird.” Kurt said to him for what felt like the twelfth time, trying and probably failing to rub the grease off his forehead.

Sebastian grinned in response. “Any good places to eat around here?”

And _oh_ , Kurt realized a little too late. He liked that grin.

           

 

After leaving the car with his dad, Kurt decided to take an early lunch break at Sebastian’s insistence and walk him to a nearby sandwich shop.

“You eat here?” Sebastian asked. “Think of the carbs.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I am not on a diet.” Kurt huffed.

“Oh, I know. I was talking about myself.” Sebastian admitted. “Order me whatever you get.”

And two turkey wraps later, they were walking around the block, waiting for Kurt’s dad to call him and let them know when the car was done being worked on.

Sebastian explained that he was driving through Lima to go pick up new ballet shoes for his sister—for Penelope, Kurt remembered—whose old pair had worn out. She got them specially made at some shop about an hour from Westerville, and badgered him relentlessly to go pick it up.

“She’s just…can’t live with her, can’t live without her, you know?”

“Not really.” Kurt said. “Well, kind of. Finn-”

“Your step brother?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah, well, it’s complicated. Because, I _can_ live without him, you know? I did for years. But now I guess I wouldn’t want to.”

Sebastian nodded. “At least he missed all of your embarrassing phases. Penny’s witnessed some awful stuff.”

“Worse than popped collars?”

“That was _one_ time.”

Kurt had to admit Sebastian did look semi decent today, in a basic grey sweater and well-cut jeans. Unimaginative, but palatable. This was maybe the fourth or fifth time he’d seen him out of uniform, and he didn’t altogether hate it.

“I think I would’ve liked a little sister.” Kurt admitted after a moment, cursing himself for always being so vulnerable around him. Vulnerable was dangerous, Kurt knew. And he was aware that that was part of it, his reluctance towards Sebastian. He didn’t like being around someone who knew how to disarm him so quickly, someone that could send his whole world crashing down with one misplaced moment of honesty.

But Kurt really would’ve liked a sister. Sue him.

Sebastian nudged him because he knew Kurt was in that headspace again, thinking about his mom, or rather her absence. How empty that house had felt, for years and years.

Kurt had explained that to him the morning after the party, too, when they were sweeping and fluffing pillows and defunking the stairwell, and he could see Sebastian looking at him with that familiar curiosity that everyone did, wondering how a teenaged boy had gotten so efficient at cleaning and playing house.

He was surprised Sebastian had been so attentive, had remembered every bit of it. Had met the news of his dead mother with a simple “hm”, didn’t dwell on it. Didn’t get awkward around him like so many others usually did.

They talked about a lot of stuff, and looking back, Kurt was shocked with how little of it had to do with Blaine. Even now, after hanging out for almost an hour, his name hadn’t come up once.

This was the first time they’d hung out without him since that day, and yet it still felt more natural than Kurt would allow himself to admit.

“You would make a horrible older brother.” Sebastian said, and Kurt pushed him slightly. “Seriously, she’d be your personal dress up doll.”

“As opposed to you treating yours like a nuisance?”

“I have to. She won’t grow right if I don’t.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “That sounds like something you made up.”

“No, it’s true. It’s like mother’s milk.”

Kurt snorted. “So now you’re saving her from osteoporosis.”

“I mean, look at you. You’re an only child and you’re a spoiled brat.”

“I’m-” And well, Kurt didn’t have much of an argument. “Shut up.”

Kurt checked his phone to avoid Sebastian’s smirk. Still no call from his dad. He figured one more loop around the block wouldn’t hurt, so they continued to walk in companionable silence. Kurt didn’t have enough of that, people he could be absolutely quiet with.

“Can I make a confession?” Sebastian asked, interrupting Kurt from his thoughts.

“Can’t stop you.”

“I knew something was wrong with my car the moment I left. And I…may or may not have passed five car shops on the way here.”

“I _knew_ it!” Kurt said, too excited by being right to really examine what that meant.

“To be fair, I did tell you.”

“You were being sarcastic.”

“I was being misleading.” Sebastian corrected. “And I was bored. Figured an afternoon at the grand _Hummel Tires and Lube_ would be interesting.”

“And was it?”  
“Not sure. You’re not as hideous in your uniform as I hoped. No black mail fodder.”

Kurt ignored the poorly concealed compliment in favor of being indignant.

“Do you...does Penny even do ballet?”

“Yes, Kurt, god.” Sebastian said with a laugh. “Stop being silly.”

“Apparently I can’t be sure with you.” Kurt said, and he could feel himself pouting. He didn’t like tricks, and Sebastian was all too fond of them.

“You’re so dramatic.” Sebastian said, smiling.

Kurt’s dad called eventually, letting them know to come back to the shop. They did, walking with less and less distance between them, arguing about what constitutes a “lie” the entire way.

 

 

Kurt watched as his dad explained to Sebastian the issue with the car, and how since he was a friend—and well, if his dad said it then it must be official—he replaced the part for half price.

Sebastian paid and started to get in the car, but not before gesturing Kurt over. “What time does your shift end?”

Kurt glanced at his watch. “Forty minutes.”

“Good. I promised you a test drive.” Sebastian said nonchalantly, almost as if he regretted it. Almost. “I’ll get you on the way back?”

“So you’re suddenly a man of your word.” Kurt mused.

“A promise is a promise.” Sebastian said, treating it like some accidental obligation. And well, that wasn’t going to sit well with Kurt. Not anymore. Not if they were really going to be friends.

“You don’t…have to do that.” Kurt said before he chickened out.

“I might as well.”

“No, I mean…you… _we_ don’t need some excuse to be around each other. We can just…hang out.”

Kurt realized that for whatever reason Sebastian thought he did need an excuse. As if Kurt hadn’t made it infinitely clear that he enjoyed Sebastian’s company, pot or no pot, car or no car, Blaine or no Blaine.

He wondered who had made Sebastian feel that way, like his simple presence wasn’t good on its own. Like there needed to be some sort of consolation price.

It was Kurt’s turn to watch Sebastian be flustered, a less noticeable but definitely still there blush coloring the tips of his ears red.

 He was starting to piece it together, from the bits and pieces Sebastian had let slip about his own childhood. A kid with few friends, who lashed out so he could convince himself it was by choice, turned attractive young man that everyone wanted to take for a spin. If the story of "The Ugly Duckling" had been about a vulnerable boy instead.

Kurt supposed that explained the hook ups, too. It was like Sebastian was trying to prove something. Like he could show them, he guessed, just how wrong they’d been about him. And maybe how right they’d been, too. He wasn’t sure which was worse.

“Fine. No more excuses.” Sebastian said, finally. He looked even more mortified when he realized Kurt saw right through him. But also like he didn’t entirely mind it. “See you soon?”

Kurt smiled, backing away from the car. “Yeah. See you soon.”

He watched Sebastian drive off and chose to ignore the questioning look from his dad, simply rushing to another part of the shop to find some work to do.

           


End file.
